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March 7, 2026 Separatism Would Hand the Iranian Regime a Lifeline As joint U.S.–Israeli operations have degraded the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities, the conflict is entering its next phase. Washington and Jerusalem are reportedly considering backing armed... March 6, 2026 Sudan’s Armed Forces Arrest Commander Aligned With Muslim Brotherhood Over Support for Iran Sudan has arrested the commander of an armed Islamist group for pledging to fight on behalf of Iran’s clerical regime. Sudanese Islamist leader Al-Naji Abdullah appeared in military uniform on March... March 6, 2026 Lebanon’s Narrow Window To Disarm Hezbollah Once again, Hezbollah has dragged Lebanon into a war with Israel. Despite promising signals, Beirut remains unserious about reasserting the state’s authority. On March 2, the Lebanese Cabinet proscribed... March 6, 2026 Israel Is Taking Aim at Hezbollah’s Banking Sector. The U.S. Should Follow Suit. The ongoing war against Iran’s clerical regime isn’t confined to the skies above Tehran — at least not for Israel. On March 2, the Israel Defense Forces attacked 18 branches of Al-Qard al-Hassan... March 6, 2026 The ‘peace president’ was right to go to war President Donald Trump entered his second term promising to measure America’s success not only by the battles we win but the ones we end. Operation Epic Fury has become the largest test of that vision. Trump’s critics call it a “war of choice.” ... March 6, 2026 Australia bans Hizb ut Tahrir under new hate laws The government of Australia formally banned Hizb ut Tahrir on March 6, designating the Islamist organization as a hate group in a move aimed at curbing extremist ideology and preventing radicalization.... March 6, 2026 Similarities and differences in US and Israeli targets and objectives in Iran campaign The US and Israel have cooperated to achieve impressive operational successes against Iran, but a mutually shared definition of victory remains elusive. This inconsistency and lack of clarity could undermine... March 6, 2026 Iran and proxy militias strike energy infrastructure, US bases, and Gulf capitals on March 6 On March 6, Iran and its aligned militias continued their campaign of missile and drone attacks across the Middle East, striking civilian infrastructure, military installations, airports, and political... March 6, 2026 Trump Demands Tehran Regime’s ‘Unconditional Surrender’ Trump Emphasizes ‘No Deal’ With Regime: President Donald Trump said on March 6 that the United States would make “no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.” Trump... March 6, 2026 Iran’s ‘Hezbollah Blueprint’ To Survive the U.S. Military’s Massive Air War The 12-Country Offensive: Why Iran is Attacking Oman and Azerbaijan to Sabotage Operation Epic Fury ... March 6, 2026 Who Is Mojtaba Khamenei? With its head gone, the Islamic Republic now lurches forward like a zombie in search of a new one. The son of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba, appears to be next in line, a... March 6, 2026 Israeli strike eliminates Hamas commander in Lebanon The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed Hamas commander Wasim Atallah Ali near the coastal city of Tripoli, Lebanon, on February 5. The elimination adds to the growing number of Palestinian terrorists who... March 6, 2026 US and Israel establish air superiority, focus strikes on Iranian military sites and ‘regime pillars’ (March 4–5) The American and Israeli campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran reached its 100th hour on March 5, as both forces in the joint operation continued to target military assets. The United States highlighted... March 6, 2026 Why Hezbollah Joined the Iran War Excerpt ... March 6, 2026 Iranian and Iranian-Backed Attacks Against Americans (1979-Present) Armed conflict between the United States and Iran did not begin in 2026, but instead has deep roots that extend back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. For nearly five decades, the clerical regime in Tehran... March 5, 2026 The Four Paths for a Post-Khamenei Iran The Islamic Republic is at an inflection point. Less than a week ago, the Islamic Republic lost its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a daytime Israeli air strike that stunned the world. And... March 5, 2026 Hezbollah’s Recklessness May Restore Israel’s ‘Security Zone’ Hezbollah built much of its political legitimacy on the claim that it forced Israel to withdraw from its “security zone” in southern Lebanon in 2000. The group’s decision to now join Iran’s war... March 5, 2026 China’s Defense Budget Keeps Growing While Economy Contracts In the middle of its spring budgeting season, it’s guns, not butter, for Beijing. Ahead of its annual “Two Sessions” legislative gatherings on March 5, China unveiled its latest series of planned... March 5, 2026 Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: March Trend Overview Welcome back to the Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker. Once a month, we ask FDD’s experts and scholars to assess the administration’s foreign policy. They provide trendlines... March 5, 2026 Israel Did Not Drag the US Into War “If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand,” President Donald Trump exclaimed to a journalist on March 3. He was answering a question posed by ABC News Senior Political Correspondent... March 5, 2026 Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites Signal Resolve To End Tehran’s Nuclear Weapons Program Four strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during the current U.S.-Israeli military campaign underscore both allies’ determination to eliminate Iran’s remaining pathways to nuclear weapons. The... March 5, 2026 Trump’s Iran Exceptionalism Before the coming of Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidates always adopted a harsh line toward the Islamic Republic. If elected, they softened their approach. Ronald Reagan established... March 5, 2026 Hezbollah leader vows to fight until the end in renewed war with Israel On March 2 at approximately 1:30 am, Hezbollah attacked Israel with several rockets and drones for the first time since the November 27, 2024, ceasefire went into effect. The group officially claimed the... March 5, 2026 Ukraine will help combat Iranian drones in Middle East, Zelenskyy says Years of Russian bombardment with Iranian drones have provided Ukraine with unparalleled experience in finding cost-effective ways to counter these weapons. Now, that hard-won expertise may be about to... March 5, 2026 Iran targets US bases, diplomatic missions, and oil infrastructure in Arab countries on March 3–5 Between March 3 and March 5, Iran continued responding to the joint United States–Israeli military campaign with widespread retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. The attacks consisted of coordinated... March 5, 2026 Iranian-backed militias continue attacks on US forces in Iraq As America and Israel continued striking Iran, the Islamic Republic’s partners in Iraq claimed additional attacks against the “US presence” in the region on March 4 and 5, particularly... March 5, 2026 Escalation Without Detonation: Russia’s Nuclear Threats Fears of a renewed arms race are echoing around the world once again, ignited by last month’s expiration of New Start, the last treaty limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenal deployment. This week,... March 4, 2026 Beware Turkey’s ambitions in the post-Iran power vacuum The US military and the Israeli Defense Forces continue unleashing their might on the Iranian regime — and precise intelligence, overwhelming firepower and a bit of good luck could soon usher... March 4, 2026 Iran’s last ‘impenetrable’ nuke factory exposed: Secret underground target Trump must now destroy… or we’re doomed America has been here before. A righteous cause. A brutal enemy. Military success that races ahead of political planning. Then comes the gradual shift in military and political objectives known as ‘mission... March 4, 2026 Will NATO’s Downing of an Iranian Ballistic Missile Over Turkey Shift Ankara’s Stance? NATO forces intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile inside Turkish airspace on March 4 —the first instance of NATO territory receiving incoming fire from the Islamic Republic since conflict began on... March 4, 2026 Iran’s regional partners spark protests across the Middle East and South Asia The Islamic Republic of Iran’s proxy groups and sympathetic Shiite communities have arranged demonstrations across the Middle East following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei... March 4, 2026 Oman’s Flipflopping on Iran Will Leave It Isolated in the Gulf Even being targeted by Iranian drone strikes is not enough to stop Oman from hedgingand even trying to accommodate Tehran. While other Gulf states issued severe condemnations of attacks on their... March 4, 2026 Israel conducts 1,600 strikes on Iran in 4 days of war, weathers Iranian missile and drones Israel has carried out 1,600 “strike sorties” against Iran since the joint US-Israeli military operation began on the morning of February 28, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on March... March 4, 2026 Why Iran’s ballistic missile launches are declining Since the United States and Israel initiated large-scale combat operations against Iran on February 28, Tehran has lashed out at its neighbors with hundreds of missiles and drones. Despite the... March 4, 2026 Iran’s Pro-Regime Hackers Cannot Back Up Their Claims of Successful Cyber Attacks As the United States and Israel continue to pummel the clerical regime in Iran, its hackers are threatening to join the fray. The Cyber Isnaad Front, a regime proxy, warned at the outset of the operation... March 4, 2026 Washington Must Ensure Beirut Acts on Its Promise To Disarm Hezbollah Hezbollah, despite its assurances to Lebanese officials, launched a barrage of rockets and drones at Israel on the morning of March 2, making Lebanon an unwilling party to the war with Iran. In response,... March 4, 2026 The Energy War Iran Can’t Win Iran’s leaders know they cannot win this war outright. Their strategy, as analysts have noted, is to drive up the costs for President Donald Trump — in casualties, energy prices, and inflation —... March 4, 2026 Why Iran’s Gulf Pressure Strategy Won’t Work Iran’s decision to launch missile and drone attacks across the Middle East in the wake of the US and Israeli strikes illustrates Iran’s retaliation strategy. Tehran believes that if it can increase the price of this war throughout the Gulf states and in other countries, those countries may pressure the United States to end the war. However, Iran’s strategy could backfire, leaving it even more isolated. It could also lead many countries that previously said they were opposed to escalation to be more amenable to seeing the regime in Tehran fall from power. March 4, 2026 Moscow Muddies the Info Waters to Hide How It’s Abandoned Its Ally In the days following the US-Israel coordinated launch of “Operation Epic Fury,” the Kremlin opened a parallel campaign – not on the battlefield, but in the information space. Within hours, Moscow... March 4, 2026 A battle to make America great again On Saturday, President Donald Trump made one of the best – and, at 8 minutes, briefest – speeches of his career. The objective of the combined U.S.-Israeli operation, he... March 3, 2026 Israel Strikes Tehran Regime’s Assembly of Experts, Underlining Efforts to Disrupt Succession Process Israel’s military isn’t making it easy for the Islamic Republic of Iran to choose a new leader. On March 3, the Israeli Air Force reportedly carried out strikes against a building housing the Assembly... March 3, 2026 ‘Too Late’: Trump Rebuffs Tehran Regime’s Request for Talks Trump Rejects Islamic Republic Request for Talks: President Donald Trump said of Iran on March 3, “Their air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said, ‘Too Late!’” In a separate interview with Politico the same day, Trump asserted that Iran is “running out of launchers” for its ballistic missiles. “They’re running out and they’re running out of areas to shoot them,” he stated. “Because they’re being decimated.” IDF Strikes Targets Across Iran: The Israeli military said on March 3 that it had attacked “sites used by the regime to produce weapons, with an emphasis on ballistic missile production sites” in Tehran. The IDF also reportedly struck “the building that hosts the body of religious experts whose primary role is to select Iran’s new supreme leader.” Clashes With Hezbollah Intensify: The IDF also announced “extensive strikes on infrastructures of the Hezbollah terrorist organization” in Lebanon since Hezbollah “chose to join the campaign [against Israel] and act on behalf of Iran.” The IDF said one of its strikes eliminated Daoud Ali Zada, deputy commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), “the highest-ranking Iranian commander responsible for Iranian operations in Lebanon.” March 3, 2026 Trade Rules Must Be Clear to Restrain China Excerpt David Hebert writes that the world is growing tired of the U.S. and “reglobalizing around partners who commit to rules rather than those who wield tariffs like a club” (“Everyone... March 3, 2026 US-Israeli strikes hit Iran’s missile, nuclear, political, and repression sites On March 2 and 3, the United States and Israel continued their sweeping joint military campaign, hitting conventional battlefield assets and a variety of other regime targets across Tehran and central... March 3, 2026 U.S. Must Pressure Baghdad To Rein in Iran-Backed Militias After largely sitting out the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran in June last year, Tehran’s proxies in Iraq quickly jumped into the fighting after the United States and Israel began operations against... March 3, 2026 Qatar Shuts Down LNG Production, Opening the Door for American Energy Leadership As Iranian missiles rain down on the Gulf, global energy markets are also being hit. Qatar’s national energy company, QatarEnergy, announced on March 2 that it suspended liquified natural gas (LNG)... March 3, 2026 AI-Amplified Narratives: Measuring Propaganda in LLM Citations March 3, 2026 Islamic Republic of Iran Attacks the Arab World ... March 3, 2026 US and Israel race to defeat Iranian missiles and drones following early campaign successes The United States and Israel launched an ambitious, large-scale war against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 28, and US officials have communicated several goals for the campaign. Speaking to reporters... March 3, 2026 Iraqi Shiite militias claim attacks on US bases Iran-backed Shiite militias belonging to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) continue to claim responsibility for attacks on American bases in the region in response to US and Israeli military operations...

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